On the shore of Conception Harbour on Newfoundland’s east coast lies the rusting wreck of the SS Charcot. Pushed ashore during a storm, the wreck has become a sight that catches the eye of all who pass by. Hidden alongside the wreck, in the dark waters of Conception Bay, are the remains of the SS Southern Foam and the SS Sukha. These wrecks are among the last reminders of the area’s role in the North Atlantic whaling industry.
The most visible of the wrecks is that of the SS Charcot. Built in 1923 at Kaldnæs Mekaniske Verksted in Tønsberg, Norway, and believed to be named after the famous polar explorer Dr. Jean-Baptiste Charcot, the steel-hulled ship was designed to sail through the ice-covered waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Equipped with a harpoon gun at its bow, a crow’s nest for spotting whales on its forward mast, and strengthened lines and winches, the ship was purpose-built to hunt whales in frigid northern waters. The vessel was 35.6 metres long, 6.6 metres wide, had a gross tonnage of 212 tons, and was powered by a 609-horsepower coal- and oil-fired boiler that produced more than enough power to pursue whales.
Despite its construction in the north, the ship soon found itself in the Southern Ocean, hunting whales from the South Shetland Islands, an archipelago approximately 120 km north of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Charcot changed hands in 1931 when it was sold to a whaling station on South Georgia Island, where it remained until the outbreak of the Second World War. During the war, the Southern Ocean became a supply route for German ships, and in 1941 the Charcot joined a fleet of Great Britain-impounded whaling vessels tasked with patrolling southern waters.
The ship did not remain in this role for long. In 1943, it was sold to the Polar Whaling Company, which sailed it to the large whaling station at Hawke Harbour, Labrador. The aging vessel saw little use during its first years on the Labrador coast; however, in September 1956, Captain Johan Borgen of the newly established Hawke Harbour Whaling Company purchased the Hawke Harbour Whaling Station and, with it, six vessels that formed its fleet. These included the SS Charcot, SS Southern Foam, SS Sukha, SS Sposa, SS Soika, and SS Sluga, the latter of which remains wrecked at the site of the former whaling station in Labrador.
A major fire ended operations at the Hawke Harbour Whaling Station in September 1959, after which the five vessels still afloat were towed to Captain Johan Borgen’s wharf in Conception Harbour. The fate of the ships following this remains unclear; however, it is now believed that the SS Sposa and SS Soika were either scrapped or scuttled at an unknown location in Conception Bay, leaving three vessels tied to the wharf in Conception Harbour until the late 1960s.
In 1970, a powerful storm struck the community, causing the SS Charcot to break free of its moorings and become beached along the shoreline. For many years, this prominent landmark was believed by locals to be the wreck of the SS Sposa. However, a survey conducted by the Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland and Labrador confirmed that the hull was in fact that of the Charcot. Further investigation by divers subsequently identified two additional wrecks; one lying alongside the Charcot identified as the SS Southern Foam and another at its stern identified as the SS Sukha.
SS Southern Foam
Similar to the SS Charcot, the SS Southern Foam was a steel-hulled vessel, measuring 39.3 metres in length and 7.5 metres in width, built in Middlesbrough, England. Launched in 1926, the ship served as a whaler operated by the Southern Whaling & Sealing Company of Liverpool. It worked year-round, hunting whales in Antarctic waters for part of the year and in the Arctic for the remainder. Its career was briefly interrupted during the Second World War, when it was requisitioned by the British Navy and used as a minesweeper throughout the North Atlantic, before returning to whaling operations out of Hawke Harbour after the war.
SS Sukha
The story of the SS Sukha is similar to that of the Southern Foam. Built in 1929 in Middlesbrough, England, this 37.1-metre-long and 7.3-metre-wide vessel operated as a whaling ship in the South Atlantic Ocean until it was converted into a minesweeper for the Royal Navy in 1940. In 1948, it was purchased by the Polar Whaling Company and subsequently operated out of Hawke Harbour, Labrador.
Both the Southern Foam and the Sukha are believed to have sunk after water breached their hulls following years of neglect. Although they lie below the surface, on calm days—and preferably from the air—it is still possible to glimpse the two vessels resting in just 2 to 5 metres of water.
About the Area
The ships are located in Conception Harbour and can be seen while driving along the CBS Highway (Route 60). A small parking area and picnic spot are located next to the beached hull. While the Charcot remains the most visible relic, a walk along the surrounding beaches reveals numerous fragments of rusted steel and mechanical components. For those hoping to catch a glimpse of the two submerged wrecks, diving the site or flying a drone over the area during low tide offers the best opportunity.
Sources & Further Exploring
Read more about this shipwreck and more by visiting the Newfoundland and Labrador Shipwreck Preservation Society http://www.shipwrecksnl.ca/.
Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador. (n.d.). Conception Harbour. Newfoundland Book Publishers.
Maritime History Archive. (n.d.). “Charcot” at Conception Harbour, Conception Bay, Newfoundland (PF-001.1-M17c) [Photograph]. Memorial University of Newfoundland. https://mha.mun.ca/mha/pviewphoto/Record_ID/3859 (Maritime History Archive)
Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland & Labrador. (2014). Conception Harbour shipwrecks review 2014 [PDF]. https://shipwrecksnl.ca/wp-content/uploads/Conception-Hbr-Shipwrecks-Review-2014.pdf